Branch Halloween Party

For weeks before Halloween, we planned the annual Halloween party at the branch's FHE.  Brainstorming sessions were conducted (in Japanese, of course) on games we could play, foods we could make, invitations (which we gave to all of our English students and took to many less active members of the branch), decorations, etc.  This is a huge event in the branch every year.  It is a great missionary effort as many in the community attend and obviously look forward to this fun party.  Finally, the big weekend arrived.  Many from the branch gathered on Friday night to prepare and decorate.

Elder Dance, Elder Price, and Remi carved the huge pumpkin

Hiroyuki prepared the confetti cannons for the kids.

Sachiko designed the bean bag toss

Katsumi had previously made the pinatas and just finished them that night.

Ken and I decorated and decorated and decorated.

There were boxes of decorations used in previous years.  This is obviously a long-standing tradition in this branch

Katsumi is loading the Jack o Lantern and spider pinatas he made with candy.

The chapel was transformed into a party room!

Elder Dance has mean carving skills

After a long evening of decorating, Ken  and I walked to a local ramen shop and had a delicious dinner.

We were in charge of the cake (cookie) walk.  We decorated large sugar cookies to give as the prizes.

The elders decorated boiled egg halves with olive spiders.

Elder Price sculpted mashed potatoes into a skull.

I think it turned out great.  Sachiko dyed kon'nyaku for the eyeballs

These are wrapped sushi

You can't buy canned pumpkin in Japan in the grocery stores.  I've missed pumpkin desserts that we usually have at this time of the year.  Imi found some canned pumpkin in an import store in another city and made pumpkin pies.  There was one leftover and she gave it to us.  She is so giving.

These were made from sweet potatoes

Cake with gummy critters

The spread.  Plus, people who came brought all kinds of snacks and treats

Sachiko with baby Amane

Cute little punkin

Our branch president and his wife

Akira

Nomuras made such a cute ring toss

Sachiko's bean bag toss

Picture before the festivities began

Rizumi, Remi, and Imi

The party beganwith a prayer, then our cake walk.

Japanese people have never heard of a cake walk.  Elder Hinton explained it to them.

Cake walk

Elder Price and Remi did the art work

The kids loved the pinatas

Everyone got lots of candy

We then taught the electric slide and danced it to "Achy Breaky Heart."

Winners of "Best Costume"  2nd place went to baby Amane and 1st place to Rizumi

We only got about half of the people in the picture we took at the end of the evening. 

Happy Halloween!!!